Even to Death I Follow
by Yumi-chan-Hamano
Summary: Mitsuba was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she lived when she wasn't supposed to. To fix the wrong, Mitsuba was thrown back onto death's row but she clung onto hope when she saw a familiar face. Perhaps her fate wasn't to die after all.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my newest Shinsuba fic! I honestly should write more for this ship but I just have so many yuumika feels that this ship takes a back seat OTL

I hope you enjoy this shorter chapter story :)

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It was another late night at the office and Mitsuba downed another drink.

Ever since she got the boring desk job, she became a regular at the bar. The bar was more quiet and tamed compared to other bars she'd been to as a college student. Honestly, all she needed is a drink before she decided to quit her job.

But Mitsuba really needed her job in order to afford rent and other basic necessities. After all, she was considered an embarrassment to the Sanguu family. She had told people that she decided to move out and become more independent, but in reality, she was kicked out by her parents and had been living alone since.

The bartender slid her another shot and she glanced up at him.

"I didn't order another one," Mitsuba said as she looked up at him.

"She paid for it," he pointed at a purple haired women seated down the bar. She lifted her own drink and winked. Mitsuba didn't know what to make of it.

"Tell her thanks, but I'm not interested."

"Already tried," the man said as he dried the beer mug. On quiet days, Mitsuba would talk to him, share her burdens instead of drinking them away. "Little lady won't take no for an answer, even if you aren't interested."

"Great," Mitsuba muttered under her breath as the bartender was called away. She propped up her arm and rested her head as she stared at the clear liquid. It was just a shot and it wasn't the first time someone tried to buy her a drink.

She had two choices; either wait for the other to make a move or go over to her and thank her before leaving.

The last time she approached a man about not being interested, she smashed a beer bottle at his head and ended up at the police station till 3 in the morning.

Mitsuba heard the sound of the chair to her right being dragged across the hardwood floor and she looked up to the youthful face.

She briefly wondered if the other was even old enough to be drinking.

"Name's Shinoa and I couldn't help but buy a drink for lovely lady such as yourself." Mitsuba snorted.

"Spare me the jest," Mistuba said and downed her third shot. "I appreciate the drink, but I'm not interested."

"Aha, it seems you have mistaken my intentions," Shinoa said, "I only wanted to make friends."

Mitsuba doubted it.

"Let me tell you exactly where in hell you can go."

Shinoa blinked a few times before smiling warmly again.

"I'm much more familiar if you wanted a visit."

"Not interested." She left a payment for her earlier two drinks and stood up from the bar stool.

Mitsuba took two steps before she paused.

Everyone in the bar froze in place. The waitress, the guys by the pool table, even the group of newly of age college students appeared to be frozen in time. She never noticed when the music stopped.

"How fucking drunk am I?"

"Not too intoxicated," a smooth voice spoke behind her. It sounded familiar, yet she could not pinpoint who it was.

Mitsuba turned around to see who was messing with her but froze from fear.

She recognized it to be Shinoa, but she didn't recall the pair of black sleek horns that grew out of each side of her head, the long thin tail swished from slight to side. But it did not attract Mitsuba's attention as much as the beautiful blackish red wings that were folded neatly behind Shinoa.

Mitsuba started to feel uncomfortable under the piercing red gaze but she felt herself losing herself in them, such a rich colour and entrancing.

"I only wanted to make friends earlier," Shinoa said as she slowly took a step forward, her tail curling behind her, "but I'm much more interested now."

Mitsuba's mind went blank.

"Uh, I have work tomorrow," she blurted out. Shinoa had the same dumbfounded expression from earlier before letting out a laugh.

"I am definitely very interested." There was a glint in the red eyes that ran shivers down Mitsuba's spine, something almost dangerous. "I'll see you around then, Mitsuba Sanguu."

Shinoa brushed past Mitsuba, sending another set of chills.

"How did you-" Mitsuba turned to look for Shinoa, but she was nowhere to be seen. But everyone started moving again, the music was playing, just like how it should be.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" the waitress asked with an empty tray.

"I'm… I'm just really drunk, don't mind me," Mitsuba said and left the bar.

She needed sleep. She was seeing some freaky shit cause she was too tired. That was it, she was tired.

She skipped the public transportation and waved down a taxi. Sure it would cut into her budget for the month a bit, but she needed it.

~ Even to Death I Follow ~

Red eyes followed the small vehicle as it traveled down the long road. She stretched out her wings as she stood up on the perch of the apartment building. She prepared for flight when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but no malicious intent.

"What do you want?" Shinoa asked, her eyes never leaving the car until it was out of sight.

"You were supposed to be doing your job." Shinoa rolled her eyes.

"I did. I wanted a little drink after trying to approach that disgusting pig."

"Shinoa, we do not indulge in human gratification."

"I know, but it's entertaining to me," Shinoa said as she folded her wings and turned to face her sister. "Besides, you need to let loose sometimes too. How's things with Guren?"

Mahiru was a hypocrite when she tells her not to engage in any human activities but she was 'dating' a human man. Shinoa never understood this concept that the humans came up with.

"We don't need to bring him into the conversation," she said as she brushed her hair behind her shoulder. "So you collected the souls?"

"Today's list is completed."

"Good, let's head back then," Mahiru said as a portal opened. "Actually, who was that blonde girl?"

"None of your business," Shinoa almost hissed before disappearing into the portal. Mahiru looked back at the bar in amusement before following her little sister.

She is also interested in this Mistuba Sanguu.


	2. Chapter 2

The alarm blared once the time hit 6:30. Mitsuba groaned as she pulled the covers over her head but the sound still seeped through.

With a tired huff, she threw the covers off herself and hit the off button on the clock.

The room was still dark as the sun was just peering over the horizon as usual. It didn't make it any easier with the alcohol still in her system. She usually had a drink or two if she had work the next day but she decided to push her limit and had that additional shot yesterday because of the mess her co-workers caused her. Then there was that weird woman at the bar-

Mitsuba shot up in bed, groaning at the mild throbbing pain in the side of her head. She gave herself a few minutes before standing up and walking to her bathroom.

The lights turned on after a few seconds after she flicked on the light switch. She groaned again at the florescent white light that lit up her light pink wallpaper-covered bathroom.

She splashed some water on her face after turning on the tap. As she looked at her tired expression, she wondered if she was hallucinating last night.

Mitsuba picked up her toothbrush and toothpaste as she counted how many hours of sleep she had been having lately. As she brushed her teeth, she continued to question what she saw in the dimly lit bar before bending down to rid of the foamy paste in her mouth.

It had to be a hallucination because of how little hours she's been sleeping and the more frequent trips to the bar. She absolutely hated her job at this point but it is what gets the bills paid at the end of the day.

Mitsuba spent a good 20 minutes applying make-up to make her look less tired. She gave herself a half-hearted smile and deemed it good enough for work. She needed to buy more foundation since she was starting to run out.

She walked into her bedroom to change into her work clothes before heading to the kitchen for some food. She opened the fridge but closed it in favour of cereal.

Mitsuba remembered when she used to have fulsome breakfasts at home where the maids cooked more than enough. Her sister would often eat so little before leaving for school and work. Mitsuba enjoyed all her meals, even if it was by herself, but she had no choice now.

She read the newspaper as she chewed on her dry cereal since she forgot to buy milk the last time she was at the supermarket. Luckily, she liked black coffee so the lack of milk in her bitter drink was not an issue.

When her eyes came across the job section of the paper, she briefly scanned it as she quietly hoped that something would call out to her. But just as the other times, she was left disappointed. She wanted a job that was more _fulfilling_ , but those were considered a disappointment to her family. Not that she isn't one in their eyes now.

She dropped out of college and worked in retail for a couple of years before her parents kicked her out of the house. They thought that she just needed some time off from school before going back, but when she showed no promise, they left her on her own.

Mitsuba didn't regret anything. College just wasn't her thing, but she never knew what her passion was. She only ever did things that her parents told her to do.

The only reason why she has her current job is the three years of business school on her resume. She could have gotten a promotion two years ago but because she didn't finish her program, they weren't able to give her the position.

They suggested that she go finish it, saying that with her work experience, it is possible not to start over from year one. But she didn't have the heart to tell her supervisor that she hated the job and wanted to leave since the second year she was with the company. Instead, she insisted that she was saving up again to pay for her tuition, when in reality she didn't even money to save.

Between rent, travel fare, food, and other necessities, her paycheck barely gets her by each month. She considered getting a second job, but even a boring desk job was draining when she has to put on a façade every time she steps into the building.

There was not one person that didn't know of the Sanguu family. Even during her interview, she had to lie that she didn't want to rely on her parents forever, when she was kicked out for being a failure.

She had always looked up to her sister. Aoi Sanguu was the biggest pride of the Sanguu family. Even her cousins were no competition to her sister. Mitsuba always looked up to her as a role model and idol, even though her sister barely registered her existence.

Growing up, Aoi was the top of her classes in the best schools while Mitsuba was above average in the local community school because she couldn't get into the schools her sister went to.

The person she admired became the shadow that haunted her future. No matter where she went or who she talked to, they always talked about Aoi and the comparison was forever drilled into Mitsuba but it was no contest to who would come on top.

Forever she was destined to live in her sister's shadow as Aoi's little sister.

She finally broke free once she left business school, but who was Mitsuba Sanguu without Aoi?

No one.

She had no hobbies, no ambitions, no desires, no life goals.

Mitsuba spent most of her life thus far chasing what she could never have. Now that she wanted to be herself, there was nothing there.

Even now, she's still haunted by her sister's grandeur. Working directly as Kureto Hiragi's assistant, Aoi has become the right hand of one of the most powerful person on Earth. From time to time, her co-workers would joke about wanting to meet her sister and seeing what kind of person the older sibling is.

She was happy for her sister. Mitsuba could never hate her for all she accomplished.

What she hated was how she was nothing without Aoi. Mitsuba Sanguu was just a passing nobody. No family, no friends, no life.

Her life has become gray and dull. Until she finds something that will make her happy to wake up for work, she will end the day at the bar, drinking away her problems.

Mitsuba looked up at the tall glass building before sighing. Before that time comes, she's stuck as one of the employees in the financial department.

She took a deep breath before mustering a smile on her face and stepping into the building.


	3. Chapter 3

"Leaving on time today?"

The words from her annoying coworker gritted against Mitsuba's ears, but she bit her tongue before she said something she regretted.

"There's something I need to do tonight. I'll finish up any leftover work tomorrow night," Mitsuba said as she stuffed her purse with her belongings. She eyed the file and decided that she will leave it for tomorrow.

Tonight, she was going to spend some time to relax and unwind. She hadn't done so in a long time, hanging at the bar after hours didn't count, so it only made sense.

Mitsuba bid her fellow workers a goodbye as she exited her department. She got into the elevator with two other employees leaving for the night. Another man stepped into the elevator two floors after and three more people another floor after. By the time they reached the ground floor, the elevator was full of people, but not too compacted because of the weight limit of the elevator.

Mitsuba rarely left at this hour so she never noticed how many people leave at this time, not having to work over time like she normally does.

The cool wind gently blew by when she exited the building. It wasn't as cold as it gets later on into the day, but it was a nice change from her usual routine. She might make this a habit, leaving work on time once a week just to take some time for herself. Mitsuba would totally treat herself to a nice dinner too if her bank account wasn't looking so empty.

Her new supervisor doesn't pay for their over-timed work because 'they should have finished before the work day was done'. But the amount of work was insane to expect to be done within their working hours.

Some of her co-workers left because of this and stacked on even more work for the remaining employees. She also considered leaving, or getting her new supervisor fired or demoted at least. Her old supervisor was kind and understanding and Mitsuba was happy about the promotion. But now they were all suffering under their new supervisor.

There was a mall near her workplace so Mitsuba decided to skip the public transport and walked to the mall. She looked around at the different shops and stores around the area and was pleasantly surprised by the variety that lived on one street. From bars to boutique to convenience stores around the corners, the streets were lively with people, some leaving work and others shopping. Mitsuba never felt this type of livelihood before, only at school festivals that she attended, but she spent most of her time helping out rather than enjoying the moment.

But now, she was a part of it.

As she strolled by to the mall, she can hear the chatters of people from the bar, the couples and friends walking down the street, something making Mitsuba wish that she had someone to talk with as well.

At the stop light, she pulled out her phone and looked through her contacts. They were either family or her co-workers. Mitsuba had long deleted her friends' contacts after they distanced themselves from her. She didn't blame them as she was a mess right from the moment she tried to create herself again. Even she didn't know who she was anymore, or how to talk to them when they knew the old her.

She crossed the walkway while slipping her phone into her pocket, no one to talk to.

Mitsuba walked into the mall with the only intention of getting more foundation. She felt stupid standing in front of the mall directory because she never came around this area before. She found the place she needed and walked away before anyone else started looking at her standing in front of the directory.

There were quite a lot of people around despite the time. It was a Thursday night yet the mall was filled with people of varies ages, shopping, eating, socializing, among other things.

But Mitsuba kept her eyes trained on what she needed and getting out. She didn't have the option of affording luxury items right now and she just needed foundation. Luckily for her, the makeup section was right were the entrance to the department store was. A few of the employees greeted her and she greeted back. She had a little trouble orienting herself but she soon found what she needed with a little assistance.

However, the woman that helped her tried to sell her other products, showing her their latest inventory or sale items.

Exasperated and left with little options, Mitsuba was very direct that she didn't have the money to buy such things. She just needed the foundation and insisted that she'd be taken to the cashier. While the woman did as she was told, she seemed to have taken compassion on her situation and suggested to apply for a job in their children's apparel department. She also whispered to Mitsuba that as employees, they get special discount in the whole department store.

With her newly purchased foundation, Mitsuba found in her hand an application to the makeup department. She put it into her purse after staring at it for a brief moment but her head was still reeling with information.

On one hand, Mitsuba really wanted to leave her job because of the asshole that is her supervisor.

On the other hand, there's another job that was internally hiring, giving Mitsuba a better chance than a job advertisement on the newspaper or online.

She wasn't new to the sales position as she worked a few years in retail before leaving for her job in the business building. Mitsuba couldn't quite remember why she left her retail job in the first place. Her fellow employees were nice to her, even her manager, but some of the customers were a fresh batch of idiots. The only real downside to her job was the customers that she had to pretend to like, but all her co-workers were like that, even though their manager would tell them off.

Once she got onto the train, she pulled out a pen and started filling out the application. She was going to submit tomorrow after getting off work on time once again. She did have some money saved for rainy days but if she gets fired for leaving without all her work done, she'll just have to rely on that money until she has another job.

She isn't expecting a full-time job at this department store, but it's still something. She'll probably have to pick up another part-time job or two to make ends meet in the long run but this is how it'd be.

As she's waiting for the stops to go by, Mitsuba's eyes started to close and she dozed off.

~ Even to Death I Follow ~

"Isn't this your stop?" a sweet voice whispered and stirred Mitsuba from her slumber. As she blinked open her eyes, the train came to a stop and the automated voice announced the station's name. Mitsuba's eyes widened when she realized she almost missed her stop.

She immediately ran off and turned around to see the door shut close and the train start to move again. The woman that warned her was waving at her before the train sped up and was gone.

Mitsuba's mind froze when she realized that the woman knew which stop she needed to get off at and warned her before she missed it. Although her memory was fuzzy, there was slight resemblance to the woman she met at the bar, though she looked a little taller.

Or perhaps she was so tired that she was starting to see things. Either way, she still has to buy milk before going back to her apartment.

She always buys something for dinner from the convenience store a block away from her apartment. It wasn't like she had much to begin with, just enough to get her by if she didn't want to leave the house or order takeout.

Trying to ignore that odd experience, Mitsuba concentrated her thoughts into her new predicament. There is a likely chance that she will get the job at the children's apparel department but it was a rash decision as she could have looked for work more closely to her apartment.

It was much quieter and dimly around her neighbourhood as the area was filled with houses and apartments rather than businesses. Which is good since the walls of her apartment were paper thin so she hears everything around her. Some nights when her neighbours are too loud, she has to wear earbuds to sleep and put on loud calm music just to get a good night sleep.

Entering the small convenience store, she said a quick hello to the cashier and went on her way to by her stuff. She briefly wondered if they were hiring here as it would be a quick walk.

By the time she got all her things to pay, there were two other customers in the store. One of them was standing behind her, waiting to pay, making it awkward for Mitsuba to ask about any hiring positions. She quickly paid and left the store. She needed to think things out more as she's just acting on whim now. She'll see about this department store job before picking up other jobs.

Just as she was about to pull out her keys, she saw the woman again, the one on the train. Mitsuba rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not hallucination but the woman smiled back at her.

She weakly smiled back before speeding up and trying to walk past the woman, pretending that she is indeed a fragment of her imagination.

"Why are you in a rush, Mitsuba Sanguu?" She froze at the mention of her name and turned around to face the woman.

"How… How do you know my name?" Mitsuba asked, her voice trembling from fear.

"I know a lot of things about you," the woman said and turned around. Mitsuba took a step back when she saw the woman's eyes glowed red under the dim building lights.

"Who… who are y-you?"

"Who I am is not of importance."

"It is to me," Mitsuba said, clutching her stuff closer to her. It seemed that her gesture amused the other person as the corners of their lips tugged upwards, revealing sharp canines.

"You can call me, Mahiru, if that makes you feel any better."

"What do you want with me, _Mahiru_?" Mitsuba asked, slowly inching away again.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to _see_ you. After all, we'll meet once more after this."

"What?" Mitsuba said but her voice was drowned out by a horn and a flash bright light was the last thing she remembered seeing.


	4. Chapter 4

"-is she?"

"Her condition doesn't look very good. Have you gotten in contact with her family?"

"No one has been picking up. However, I did manage to get a hold of some of her co-workers but none of them have any method of contact with her family members."

"Keep trying nurse, we have to get a hold of someone if her condition gets any worse."

Mitsuba listened as the people talking. They were awfully close to her for some reason. She knew the walls of her apartment were thin, but she didn't know it was that bad.

But she didn't get back to her apartment yesterday. She was talking with some weird women, her name didn't stick with Mitsuba but she didn't put too much thought into it. Then there was a car honk and a bright light… then everything went blank.

Mitsuba sat up and looked around but the room looked nothing like the worn down apartment that she was so used to look at. The walls was an off-white, a window with the curtains drawn back, letting in the light. On her left and right, more beds laid in the same row and adjacent from where she sat was another row of beds.

It looked familiar to her, a hospital setting. Her breathing became shallow as her imagination ran wild and her mind ran different scenarios. But one thing was for sure, she was injured enough to be in the hospital.

She remembered there was a panel of buttons above the headboard. One of them was to call a doctor over to the hospital bed. She turned to press the button but was greeted by a haunting sight.

Just below her was her own face, unconscious and attached to a gas mask. To the right of her current position stood a monitor, tracking her heartbeats supposedly.

But there was nothing attached to her.

In panic, she wanted to smash the button, to get a doctor to explain to her what was happening, but her hand went through the wall and more panic came over her.

She stepped off the bed but her feet went through the floor like it did earlier with her hand. She looked around, hoping that someone was awake so they could help her. She even tried to call out to them, but no one responded. At this point, Mitsuba was scared and frustrated, hoping that someone would help her. She looked outside the window, seeing nurses and doctors walk by, but none into the room she was in.

Then she saw her, the woman at the bar. The one with the red eyes, horns and if memory served right, a tail.

That was definitely her.

Mitsuba sprinted to the door, but her hand went through again. She groaned but then she moved her arm forward before trying to step outside.

It felt weird just walking through a door but it worked. She quickly looked around and sprinted in the direction she saw her walking. Soon, Mitsuba spotted her but the other just kept walking on. Mitsuba dug through her memories for the time she met her at the bar, the time the woman treated her to a drink, the time she introduced herself and then revealed that she was something unhuman.

" _Name's Shinoa and I couldn't help but buy a drink for lovely lady such as yourself."_

"Shinoa!" Mitsuba yelled and it worked surprisingly well as the woman turned around, looking rather shock, "You!"

Shinoa looked as she lifted a hand to point at herself and tilted her head to the left.

"Yes you!" Mitsuba yelled as she stomped over to her. "You… you…"

"It's a pleasure to meet you again but I have a job to do," Shinoa said with a smile before turning around and walked away. Mitsuba gawked at how easy she was brushed off and ran after her to grab her by the wrist.

"Look here!" Mitsuba yelled as she spun Shinoa around and held her by her shoulder, "I don't know what's going on! Last night there was a car honk, and then there was a bright light, then nothing! Now I'm in the hospital and- and there's… there's another me on the bed, but that's not me, I'm here. I-What is happening?"

"I was wondering why you were able to see me, and even touch me," Shinoa said and Mitsuba looked at her in confusion, the tears falling down her face.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Mitsuba asked. Shinoa held out her arm and Mitsuba saw a doctor walking straight forward, as if unaffected by the limb. Mitsuba was able to call out to him but he just walked right by and phased through her arm like Mitsuba's body did before. "How is… what is going on here?"

"I'll explain it to you later, I have a job to do right now," Shinoa said and her expression softened. "Come."

Mitsuba allowed herself to be dragged off as they phased through more people. She felt weird just walking through everyone as she tried to grasp her situation right now. She wasn't dead, at least she didn't think she was but she wasn't exactly alive either.

Shinoa instructed her to sit on one of the plastic chairs and Mitsuba did as told quietly before Shinoa walked into the hospital room. Considering what has happened and what she has seen, Mitsuba concluded that she had died and became a ghost. But there was only one thing wrong with her theory. She saw herself, in the hospital bed, hooked up to a heart monitor that indicated that she was still alive. However, there was nothing to back up her theory but she was trying to keep herself preoccupied until Shinoa got back.

Mitsuba assumed she was here to visit someone but then again, they were both phasing through people and no one seemed to notice their presence as well.

"Just what is happening?" Mitsuba whispered under her breath as a pair of black boots came into her view. She looked up to see Shinoa smiling down at her. She didn't hear the other's footstep yet her feet were planted firmly on the ground unlike her feet. Mitsuba looked down at her feet that were hovering above the tiled floor, which started to sink into the floor upon her panic.

"Whoa there," Shinoa said as she grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up again. "Don't think you want to be going anywhere right now."

"What is happening to me?" Mitsuba asked, confused to everything that is happening around her, "I tried to leave my bed but my feet just go through the floor but somehow I got to you and I was sitting on that chair but now I can't, what is happening to me?"

Shinoa must have seen how flustered and scared Mitsuba was because she sighed but kept her hold on the blonde.

"There's no easy way to say this in a way you understand," Shinoa started off and Mitsuba suddenly got a really bad feeling, "Right now, you're a spirit out of your body, but since you noticed me in this form, you're probably going to die soon. And I mean really soon."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure there's no way I can, you know," Mitsuba said as her arm phased through her physical body, "get back in there?"

"If you want to _'get back in there'_ , then it's a little late now," Shinoa said, obviously amused by how Mitsuba was trying so hard. "You can try all you want, but if you're not meant to die, you shouldn't have left your body in the first place."

"Hey, you said something about me being about to see you right?" Mitsuba asked as she waved her hand around her physical head, "What's the deal with that?"

"Normal people cannot see me," Shinoa said as she crossed her legs while floating in mid-air. Mitsuba was half-convinced that she lost her mind and this was all a dream so she ignored such details. "Only people who are near death are able to see me for I am a reaper, and so, your fate had been sealed since the moment you saw me."

"Wait a second," Mitsuba said as she pulled her arm away and turned her full attention, "are you telling me that's why you were trying to get my attention at the bar?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean that. Oh, not at all. I just thought you were cute," Shinoa said with a wink and watched as Mitsuba's face turns a bright red. The blonde made a sputtering sound as she pointed an accusing finger at Shinoa.

"Well, I- You-, damn it" Mitsuba cursed under her breath as she wasn't able to form a coherent sentence.

"Still very cute," Shinoa said cheekily as she leaned in closer but backed away when Mitsuba swatted her hand at the unwanted advance. "I like your feisty attitude. Clinging to me like a lost child but being so bashful shortly after."

"This is all your fault, you stupid reaper. My life hasn't been normal since meeting you," Mitsuba snapped, "And what, we saw each other just the other night."

"The other night?"

"What, you forgot already?" Mitsuba snapped again but Shinoa shook her head.

"It wasn't the other night, that was two weeks ago."

"T-two weeks?"

"Yeah, I was kinda sad too that we didn't see each other again," Shinoa said with a pout, "I even went to the bar a few times when I had time off and- Mitsuba? What's wrong?"

"No, no, this can't be true," Mitsuba whispered over and over again as she crouched down and looked clipboard placed at the end of her bed. What she didn't notice was that she was slowly sinking into the floor and Shinoa didn't say anything about it since it would only make Mitsuba freak out more about it.

"Hey hey," Shinoa called out but it didn't seem to grab her attention, "I mean, I know that death and everything doesn't mix well with humans, but you do this thing… uh, it's like a list of things you want to do before you die. What did you humans call it?"

"A bucket list," Mitsuba stated in a monotone voice and Shinoa felt a pang of guilt.

"If… if I said today was your last day, what did you want to do… before you move on…"

"I want to go to the zoo."

"Zoo?"

"I…" Mitsuba blushed when she realized what she said, "Forget it!"

"What's a zoo?" Shinoa asked and Mitsuba looked up in surprise.

"You… don't know what it is?" Mitsuba asked and Shinoa shook her head. Mitsuba stood up again, her feet still hidden below the tiled floor. "Well, a zoo is, uh, it's a place where they keep animals, and you pay to go see them. Wow, that actually sounds really terrible now that I say."

"Ooooh, animals?" Shinoa said, acting excited to get Mitsuba out of her current mood, "Say, we should go to the zoo!"

"What?" Mitsuba said, gawking at the reaper. Shinoa nodded as if she had a plan. Just a second ago, Shinoa had no idea what a zoo was so Mitsuba didn't think it was a good idea to leave, even if the reaper herself said it was fine. "I rather get back into my body first. I'll take a raincheck on it."

"What if I said this is your last day before you die?"

The thought finally sank in and Mitsuba became quiet. She didn't want to die yet. There were so many things she still wanted to do before this moment came, yet her chances were robbed before she could even try to escape the terrible conditions that she put herself into years ago.

"Is there really no more chance for me to keep living?" Mitsuba asked quietly and looked up at Shinoa with a solemn expression.

"I'm a reaper of death. I do not grant life or death. I simply follow the orders of nature."

"I see."

A silence befell the room and the sounds of whirling machinery and soft breathing could be heard in the room.

"So, let's go to the zoo?"

~ Even to Death I Follow ~

"Ooooh! What's that! What's that!" Shinoa asked as she walked, or floated, around the animal.

"It's a lion," Mitsuba replied. It was weird being inside of the enclosure instead of looking from afar.

Also, being a ghost, as she called this, meant that others didn't notice her or Shinoa and they were basically free to do whatever they want. It was the first time in a long time since she's been to the zoo, but this is much cooler, being able to be so close to the animals.

"Let's go check out the next one," Shinoa said and grabbed into Mitsuba's arm as they floated over to the next enclosure.

Mitsuba was glad they were here, even with death looming over her head literally. Shinoa seemed to be having fun too as they went from animal to animal. Mitsuba wanted to at least be there to help the reaper understand what the animals are. Mitsuba could remember the time she came here with her sister when she was younger.

There was a field trip at school during her elementary years to the zoo, but her parents refused to let Mitsuba go because she got 89 on her English test, one mark shy from 90. Aoi took it upon herself to bring Mitsuba to the zoo herself. It was a secret they kept from their parents but it was also one of the more cherished memories Mitsuba had of her childhood.

"Are you okay?" Mitsuba looked at Shinoa but noticed that her vision blurred with tears. She lifted a hand to wipe away the tears and gave her a small smile.

"I'm fine. Thanks for coming here with me, I really appreciate it," Mitsuba said and looked at the otter swimming so freely in the water. "I almost forgot something very important to me. So thank you."

"Aw, there's no need to thank-"

Mitsuba gave the reaper a confused look when Shinoa only stared at her in horror. Mitsuba looked behind her to see if there was something around them but found nothing. But as she brought up her hand to brush away a stray strand of hair, she realized her fingers were slowly fading, inching towards her shoulder. Mitsuba looked at her other hand and it was the same.

"What's happening to me?" Mitsuba asked, half-frantic about slowly disappearing.

"We need to get back to the hospital, right now," Shinoa stated as she grabbed Mitsuba by the wrist. Mitsuba didn't have time to give a nod before the portal appeared again, the hospital room on the other side. However, Mitsuba saw someone in the hospital room that was oddly familiar.

As the portal closed, Shinoa released her while talking but Mitsuba didn't hear any of the words.

Her eyes were fixated on the sight of her sister, the great and mighty Aoi, slumped over her bed side, clasping both hands with Mitsuba's pale one and crying uncontrollable.

This was the sister that she tried so hard to follow after. The sister that was always there for her when her parents weren't. The one that tried to extend a helping hand when she was kicked out of the house and left to fend for herself.

She was the one Mitsuba left behind because of her own insecurity.

"Hello there again, Mitsuba."

She whirled around at the mention of her name and the memory came back fast and hard.

"Mahiru, who are you?"


	6. Chapter 6

Mahiru blinked owlishly. Mitsuba narrowed her eyes when the woman tilted her head to the side, faintly ignorance.

"What do you mean?" she asked in the soft voice.

"I don't need your bullshit. I was talking to you because I was hit by that car and since you can see me…" Mitsuba said as she pointed her faded finger at Mahiru, "you must also be a reaper!"

"My my," Mahiru said immediately, clasping her hands together, "you're quite worked up for no reason. Why would you think I am- what did you say? A reaper was, it? That's kind of silly don't you think?"

"Then are you trying to say that she's lying to me?" Mitsuba said as she turned to Shinoa. The reaper had a surprised look, almost offended for being included, but Mitsuba ignored it as she returned her attention to Mahiru. "Even if she was lying about this reaper business, my sister is frozen like how the patrons were that night at the bar. Or the fact that I can see my body on that hospital bed while I stand here and talk to you. So tell me again, what is silly?"

Mitsuba stared straight into Mahiru's blank eyes after her little mini speech. She was sure that Mahiru was not 'normal' in human standards and most probably a reaper from her calm mannerism and the way she tried to play it off.

"Don't you have a sharp tongue for someone with limited time left on Earth?" Mitsuba looked down to see most of her feet and her hands have disappeared. "And Shinoa, don't you remember the first rule of being a reaper? Humans shall never learn of our existence. If you wanted to have some fun with humans, then do so in your human form."

"I'm sorry…"

"This has nothing to do with her!" Mitsuba shouted, gaining Mahiru's attention again, "I was the one who reached out to Shinoa since she was the only one that could see me. And so what if I am disappearing! I was ready for this anyways… After Shinoa told me there's no way for me to get back into my body…"

"That's right, your fate was sealed since we met that night," Mahiru said apathetically as she brushed back her hair. "I was interested to see what kind of person caught Shinoa's attention, but I didn't expect such a low life of a human."

"Hey!"

"Am I wrong?" Mahiru asked, her sharp gaze stared deep into Mitsuba's own. Though Mahiru was right in a way, Mitsuba held her ground and stared back at her. "All your life, you were simply walking in the shadow of your sister, but once you left, you were lost. No direction, no ambitions, no reason to let you keep living."

"I do! I-I want to find a new job… find friends and have a dog maybe!"

"But it's too late, you're going to die," Mahiru said as she stepped forward. As if her body was frozen, Mitsuba could only watch as Mahiru approached, lifting her hand and paused in front of Mitsuba's pale face. "You're going to leave with regrets because you were never able to face them before."

"Wait!" Shinoa called out, but resisted the instinct to back down when Mahiru's icy red eyes landed on her. "Mitsuba wasn't meant to die so soon! This was my fault! I'll take responsibility!"

"Responsibility?" Mahiru said as her eyed trailed to Mitsuba and back at Shinoa. "You're right, if you never spoke to little Mitsuba here, I would never even spend a second thinking about this person, so this is your fault."

"Nee-san!" Shinoa shouted and Mahiru froze. Mitsuba could see that Mahiru was surprised and her hand faltered slightly. "I… I'd always admired you. Just like how Mitsuba saw her sister, I looked up to you in the same way. You taught me everything and guided me this far. I make mistakes and you work with me to fix them, so please, help me fix this one."

Mitsuba saw the hesitation on Mahiru's face as her brows furrowed but she did lower her hand and Mitsuba let out a breath of relief. Shinoa was also visibly relieved and Mahiru made note of that as she kept her expression neutral.

"Normally," Mahiru spoke, her voice cold unlike how she spoke to Mitsuba before, "we follow a certain code before we judge souls. However…" Her eyes drifted to Shinoa and the two briefly locked eyes. "You are a special case."

"So, I get to not die?" Mitsuba asked, a slightly hint of hope in her voice. But it seemed that she shouldn't be too happy after all.

"If you weren't meant to die, you should have never left your body," Mahiru said and walked around Mitsuba. "Normally I would ask about your life, how happy you are, any regrets you have." Mitsuba turned around to see Mahiru sitting by her bed side, opposite to her sister. "But I already know. I've been keeping tabs on you after Shinoa met you."

"So you knew that I was going to die?" Mitsuba yelled, angry with what she's hearing. She finally accepted the fact that she was going to die, but now her mind was spinning with information.

"No," Mahiru said as she looked directly at Mitsuba, "you should have died on the night you met Shinoa. A fight and two victims, but there was only one died that night at the bar. Now, what happened to the other? That other person was still alive during at the moment when the soul was judged, you were there when it happened."

Mitsuba looked at Shinoa but she turned away, her bangs covering her face. She started to understand now. That night, when everything froze, she was supposed to be judged. But, she didn't die?

"How… how am I still alive if I was supposed to die then?" Mitsuba asked. She was asking Shinoa, the one that was there, the one that was supposed to judge her, but Shinoa didn't look her way so she turned back to Mahiru. "I don't understand. I… I felt it, everything around me froze, just like it did now. But nothing happened to me…"

"That's because someone interfered."

Mahiru's eyes looked past Mitsuba and everything fell into place in her mind.

Shinoa, a reaper, was there to do her job, but she didn't fulfill her duties completely, sparing Mitsuba that night.

" _I only wanted to make friends."_

"Why?" Mitsuba asked as she walked towards the smaller reaper. She didn't reply, didn't move, just stayed in place as Mitsuba approached her. She tried to reach out to Shinoa, only to see most of her forearm was gone. "Why would you give me hope I could have done something with my life? Why did you let me think I had a choice? I should have been dead! I should have never thought about getting a new job, or… or friends, or anything! I should have just died and not know my sister would cry if I was on my death bed!"

Tears fell even though Mitsuba was trying hard to not let them fall, to not show weakness when she was trying hard to be strong. She was dead, she's slowly fading, and she can't even tell her sister what she always felt before she left.

"Do you have regrets?"

Mitsuba turned to Mahiru and she looked surprised at the blonde's expression.

"I thought I didn't have any. This is the path I have chosen for myself, but…" Mitsuba looked at her sister, her hands grasping onto her pale one, "there's always one thing that always weighted in the back of my head. But I never realized how important she was to me until now."

"If you could have one wish right now, what would it be?"

Without hesitation, Mitsuba smiled at Mahiru, tears still rolling down her face, "I wish for my sister to be happy."

"I understand," Mahiru said with a small smile, "It's rather unfortunate. You could have had a good life."

Mahiru lifted her hand again and Mitsuba closed her eyes, accepting her fate even with Shinoa screaming at Mahiru to stop from behind her. She felt peaceful for the second time during this ordeal. She was thankful for Shinoa for bringing her to the zoo and Mahiru for making her realize what was so important to her.

"Don't worry, you will have a good life. Your new family will be kind and you'll get along with your siblings, I know it."

She didn't know if Mahiru was trying to cheer her up or comfort Shinoa, who was crying and begging Mahiru to stop.

"Thank you Shinoa. I take back what I said about regretting to know you. If we meet again, I hope we could good friends."


	7. Chapter 7

Loud. Everything around was loud. There was yelling and other loud noises.

There was another blinding light. Once it faded away, everything was blurry but all she could see was white and some colour around the corners of her vision.

The noises have toned down by now but she could barely make out what it was. Talking perhaps, but she didn't understand the unintelligible garble. Mitsuba wondered if this is what it was like when you're born. Confused and irritated at the world, maybe that's why babies always cry when they were born.

Everything was tiring and she had to fought to keep her eyes opened. Mitsuba felt something warm brush against her forehead, a comforting gesture that lulled her to sleep.

"Rest Mitsu, everything will be fine now."

The voice sounded familiar, but she was too tired to think as she closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.

~ Even to Death I Follow ~

Mitsuba opened her eyes again and white was all she could see. She could hear the machines whirling again and something else?

She turned her head to see a blur of a familiar shade of blonde.

It was difficult, but slowly she reached a hand over to her sister. Mitsuba almost cried when her hand didn't fade through.

But Mitsuba hissed when her sister jolted up, her arm not used to such sudden movement. It wasn't pain from an injury, but from tightness of her muscles.

"Shit, sorry Mitsu. I'll go get a doctor, okay?" Aoi said as she sat up and ran out of the room.

Everything went by too quickly and Mitsuba took a moment to realize what happened. But she was mostly preoccupied by the fact that Aoi looked so distressed, her hair disheveled and her clothes slightly wrinkled.

A doctor came by but it went by in a blur again. She didn't really understand what was happening but pushed those thoughts away again when her sister approached her bedside again, tears streaming down her face while smiling, something she hadn't seen in a long time.

"I… missed… you…" Mitsuba said, taking deep breaths after each word, her throat sore and dry.

"I almost did too," Aoi said as she grasped her weak hand, "but you're okay now, thank god. Please don't scare me again like that."

"So-rry…"

"Shhh, there's nothing to apologize for now," Aoi said and leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead. "Rest well and make a full recovery."

The next weeks went by uneventfully. Mitsuba slept away most of the day during her first two weeks after waking up from her coma and went to physiotherapy to regain use over her body again. It felt foreign at first, but everything returned to normal soon.

Another three weeks passed by before Mitsuba was allowed to be discharged from the hospital.

Aoi tried to visit her after work on a daily basis, but Mitsuba could see how tired her sister was and scolded her. It was odd, but it also felt normal, like how siblings are supposed to be. But there was still one thing she didn't understand.

Why hadn't Shinoa come visit her yet?

After the ordeal, she hasn't seen Shinoa, or Mahiru for that matter. Not that she wanted to see Mahiru, but she would have thought Shinoa would have come by to see how she was doing. But none of the nurses seen or even heard about her.

For some reason, it felt kind of empty without the loud reaper chirping about in the large hospital room.

She did feel kind of happy when Shinoa said that she went back to the bar in hopes of catching her, but she was too preoccupied by the fact that she had been unconscious for two weeks to actually think about it.

"Mitsuba?"

"Huh? Yeah?" Mitsuba said as she looked up at her sister who had her brows furrowed.

"Are you okay? Do you have a fever or not feeling well?" Aoi asked as she felt Mistuba's forehead, "You can stay here for another night or two if you're not feeling well."

"No, please no. I'm tired of staring at the white walls and eating the bland hospital food," Mitsuba said.

"Okay, but if you're not feeling well..."

"I'm fine, Nee-san," Mitsuba said and that seemed to have done the trick as Aoi finished packing her stuff. Aoi overdid it when she brought in everyday items for Mitsuba during her stay at the hospital. Nevertheless, she was grateful for what her sister did.

As she walked with Aoi out of the hospital and into the indoor car park, she slowed down and realized what she was doing.

"Mitsu? What's wrong?" Aoi asked, noticing that Mitsuba was no longer following her.

"It's nothing," Mitsuba said with a forced smile, "I'm really grateful for everything you did so far for me. But I ah, should probably get back to my apartment. I'll just go take the bus and stop bothering you."

"Why?" Aoi yelled, her words echoed in the semi-filled car park. Mitsuba had turned on her heel and was about run off if she had the strength, or if her sister did not response so strongly. Her sister deserved an explanation, especially after everything that happened between them in the few weeks. "Why do you keep doing this? Why do you push me away again?"

"I… I'm sorry," Mitsuba said, loud enough for her sister to hear, even with her back turned to her, "It's my own incompetence, it has nothing to do with you."

"Mitsu…"

"Please Aoi. I… I love you, but I need to do this myself. If… if I don't, I'll never find myself. I can't find the strength to face you until I find who I am to the world. I don't want everyone to just see me as your sister. I-I want to be myself, I want to be known as Mitsuba."

Mitsuba tightened her fist as she held back her tears. She refused to be weak in front of her sister. She needed to be strong, she needed to move on.

But her resolve shattered when Aoi hugged her, whispering, "You can do that with me. I'll help you."

Mitsuba spent so much time despising her sister because she never wanted to face the fact that she really did admire Aoi. She was her role model and it just ruined Mitsuba to leave her shadow. There was so many things that Aoi could do and nothing that she could.

"I'm so sorry," Mitsuba cried over and over again. "I'm so sorry Nee-san."

"Everything will be fine, I'll make sure of it. Please, don't push me away again."

~ Even to Death I Follow ~

Mitsuba never felt so embarrassed in her life. Everything she kept hidden, even to herself, was said and now she doesn't know how to face her sister.

"Mitsu, could you at least tell me where you live?" Aoi asked and Mitsuba tilted her head slightly so she could glance at the road ahead of them.

"Take a left at the next light and then there should be an apartment building on the right on the road."

They were heading to her apartment to grab some of her clothes and necessities since they agreed that she would move in with Aoi. Her sister left their parents' house shortly after Mitsuba was kicked out. Aoi had been searching for her, but Mitsuba somehow managed to conceal her presence. That was until the accident and the hospital contacted her.

Aoi had apologized for not coming earlier since she left for a business trip and only received the news upon her return. She knew that their parents would not care enough to go, making her even more worried.

The doctors had told Aoi to expect the worst, but some miracle happened and Mitsuba made a full recovery. A miracle that Mitsuba wanted to know the details of.

She wanted to turn down Aoi's offer at first. But after her sister learned of the conditions Mitsuba had been exposed to, Aoi refused to back down this time. Mitsuba couldn't complain about her noisy neighbours since all the walls are paper thin, but the leaky roof and rodent infestation was poor handling on the part of the apartment management.

Mitsuba had a few horror stories of finding rats in her pantry.

"We'll pick up some things today and I'll get someone to come help get everything else at a later date," Aoi said as she made a note in her phone while they were in the elevator. The old machine creaked in a way that worried Aoi but Mitsuba convinced her that it had been like that since she lived here.

"I'll just come pack after I quit my job. I didn't want to work that shitty office job after all," Mitsuba said as the elevator came to an abrupt stop and the doors slid open.

"That isn't necessary. I know some really good people. You should be more focused on what you want to do from now. Did you want to go back to school or find work?" Aoi said, "I know you haven't been doing much that you wanted to so far but I'll support you from now on."

"That's not necessary Nee-san. I want to do this myself remember?" Mitsuba said and cursed that her apartment was so far down the hall, giving them time to talk about this issue. "I'll find a job and earn some money for myself. It means a lot to me that I don't have to pay rent for a tiny apartment. I'll pay my share of the bills too."

Aoi looked like she wanted to counter her argument when a familiar voice interrupted, "Mit-chan!"

Mitsuba turned to see Shinoa, in her human form dressed in a formal navy blue dress, running up to her and hugging her.

"I thought I would never see you again!" she exclaimed with a big smile.

"Um, Mitsu, who is this?" Aoi asked, obviously surprised.

"Oh," Shinoa said and let go of Mitsuba. She stepped back and curtsied, "My name is Shinoa Hiragi. I'm Mit-chan's girlfriend."

"G-g-g-g-girlfriend?" Mitsuba stuttered and Shinoa smiled at her, but it wasn't sarcastic or teasing, it was genuine.

"I never heard such a thing from Mitsuba," Aoi said, but her tone said that she believed her.

"Mit-chan is just shy," Shinoa chirped, "We were in a long distance relationship you see. I didn't want to come bother her since I knew that she was having some troubles herself. But my family didn't like my relationship with Mit-chan, well, for reasons that are kind of obvious."

"Oh, you poor thing," Aoi said and hugged the shorter woman. Shinoa smiled and gave Mitsuba a thumbs up. "You're more than welcome to stay with us."

"Wait what?" Mitsuba exclaimed and Aoi ignored her as they walked towards her apartment.

"Don't be like that to your girlfriend Mitsu," Aoi scolded lightly. "Come Shinoa, we're just getting some of Mitsu's things and then I'll take you both to my house. But you're welcome to think of it as your home as well."

"You're so kind Mit-chan's sister," Shinoa said as she pulled out the key that Mitsuba had kept under the mat. "You're a lot nicer than I imagined since she never wanted to talk about you."

"We had some rough times together, but we worked those out, right Mitsu?" Aoi said and winked at Mitsuba before they walked into her apartment.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you everyone who has been following this story! It was meant to be shorter and a different ending, but things change and such is life. I do plan on writing a sequel but who knows when that will be posted!

I also usually have a new story to post on Mondays, but I kinda ran out since I'm working on a longer story. I'm going to try to get some oneshots posted on Mondays, but no guarantees that it will work out!

Thank you again and enjoy the last chapter :)

* * *

Mahiru watched as things unfroze after the deed had been done. The woman continued to cry hysterically by her sister's bedside, something Mahiru would never understand.

Hurt.

Pain.

Loss.

Those are things that a reaper cannot feel. Something that makes their job easier.

" _I'll take her place! Please let her live!"_

Emotions were not something they should feel, but Shinoa was always different. That something about her made Mahiru want to protect her all the more.

"You look conflicted, that's so unlike you."

"Shinya," Mahiru stated, trying to cover up any remaining emotions that were whirling in her head, "What is the God's messenger doing here?"

"He wants to see you before he leaves."

"Since when have you been taking requests?"

"Guren was always a special case, the one who always came close to death, yet does not die."

Mahiru had seen his name appear in her book three times before she actually met him. He was 20 years old at the time and she found him in the back seat of a car that crashed into the tree. The driver had passed out, his life hanging on a thread while the woman in the passenger seat had been the one she was to reap.

During the judgement, Guren slowly gain consciousness and witnessed her claiming the soul for reincarnation.

Mahiru immediately left, panicked for the first time. She had never been seen by humans in her reaper form. But she met him once again when the driver was on his death bed.

Unlike anything she had seen before, he was able to talk to the man outside of his body and was unaffected by the judgment period.

But he didn't interfere, even when his friend looked at him, practically begging him to help.

Mahiru was immune to such emotions, unable to feel sorry for the man that was guilty for causing the death of a young woman. But Guren also didn't speak up, even though he had been close friends with the woman.

She became intrigued in the silent man. She asked him questions but he called her annoying.

They parted ways but they saw each other again as death seemed to plague all the people around him. Be it friend or family, he would be there, to witness their final moments or around at the time they passed.

"Very well," Mahiru said and followed Shinya.

She had seen his name appear in her book when she learned of his illness. But it disappeared a few months. When she spoke to him, Guren said that his illness became terminal, and that he looked forward to seeing her when his time came. But it was not her responsibility.

Just like always, he looked at her with a calm expression, something that she never seen on a person who knows that they were dead, until she met Mitsuba.

"You finally came," Guren said as he walked away from the open window.

"I wasn't going to since I didn't know your time came," Mahiru said, "But it seems that even after you died, you're just as stubborn."

"Death doesn't change who you are," Guren said before his expression softened and saw the smile that rarely graced his face, "and you're still who you are regardless of what you are, Mahiru."

"I told you already, we're not going to end up in the same place. My job as a reaper will not allow me to step into heaven, where mortal souls end up after they reached solitude," Mahiru stated and Guren snorted.

"I just wanted a pretty lady friend to show off at first," Guren said, something Mahiru already knew, "but I can't control what I feel, just like you can't feel anything."

"Can you hurry up and move on? I still have jobs to do today," Mahiru said, feeling uneasy especially what happened just before.

"Of course, I just wanted to see you one last time," Guren said as he looked to Shinya and nodded. "Goodbye Mahiru."

~ Even to Death I Follow ~

Mitsuba glared at Shinoa as she happily sipped on the strawberry banana smoothie that Aoi made the day before. They were settled down and Aoi was about to ask Shinoa some questions when a call came in and Aoi had to return to work immediately.

"You'll get wrinkles quicker when you're like that," Shinoa teased, finally putting down the beverage.

"Who the hell are you calling your girlfriend?" Mitsuba snapped and Shinoa blinked innocently.

"You!"

"Let Hell you are!" Mitsuba yelled and Shinoa cover her ears. "Tell me, what are your intentions this time? Or are you going after my sister now?"

"I have no intentions, I'm human after all," Shinoa said and picked up the smoothie, "I will have to do everything that humans do to sustain them now. Eat, sleep, shit, you know, that stuff."

"Hold on, you're human now? What happened to 'You're a reaper and I'm here for your soul' deal?" Mitsuba asked.

Shinoa looked at her with a grave expression and said, "I gave that up to save you."

"You… what?"

"It doesn't concern you," Shinoa said and stood up. She turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen with Mitsuba following behind.

"Hey!" Mitsuba said and grabbed onto Shinoa's arm. She turned the smaller woman around and Shinoa looked at her with a pout, "Look, I'm thankful that you gave up being a reaper to save me, but why did you do that?"

Shinoa paused for a moment when she looked down at her feet and looked up again.

"Because I like you," Shinoa said and gave Mitsuba a quick peck on the lips. Shinoa then proceeded to run up the stairs, into the room Aoi said she could stay in for the time being and slammed the door.

A blush settled on Shinoa's face as she sipped on the remainder of the smoothie. While she was not lying about liking Mitsuba, she also didn't want to tell her what really happened.

~ Even to Death I Follow ~

" _Please Nee-san, don't do it!" Shinoa screamed as she watched Mitsuba's figure disappear into the glowing soul. "Please, give her another chance! I'll do anything!"_

" _There's nothing to be done," Mahiru said, the soul floating brilliantly in her hand, "The outcome would have been the same had this been what transpired at the bar."_

" _She just needed a little more time! She would have done something about it!"_

" _Have you not done enough?"_

 _Shinoa flinched at the words. She knew that Mitsuba was unhappy when she saw her at the bar. She didn't realize that she was Mitsuba until later on after she reaped the other soul. She inherently changed Mitsuba's life but not enough to do anything for her._

" _Please Nee-san," Shinoa said with her head hung low, "You're all I have known since I existed and you taught me everything I am. But please, let me save her just this once. I'll do anything, I'll take her place if I have to!"_

" _But you do realize that reapers cannot truly achieve solitude. We exist solely to guide those into their next life."_

" _Yes, I'll do anything," Shinoa stated and Mahiru sighed. She stretched out her hand towards Mitsuba's body and Shinoa's eyes widened at the gesture. The soul floated towards Mitsuba's body and dissolved onto the body, glowing briefly before it disappeared._

" _Thank you! Thank you so much!" Shinoa said as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve._

" _But we haven't talked about your punishment."_

" _Yes, I'm prepared."_

" _You will be stripped of your reaper title and powers to live as a human until you 'die' and return to your job."_

" _That's it?" Shinoa asked but gulped nervously when Mahiru narrowed her eyes at her._

" _It's not easy living as a mortal, even less so since you have been only accustomed to being a reaper. Although we observe them in their daily lives, there is nothing that will prepare you for the life you will have ahead of you. Also, since you saved this girl, you will only be relieved of your mortal life when her time comes. Until then, any life-threatening disease, illness, or event will not claim your life, but torture you until Mitsuba's time has come again."_

" _I guess I'll have to be really careful then!" Shinoa chirped, trying to lighten the tense mood._

" _Goodbye Shinoa," Mahiru said as she lifted her hand and Shinoa started to glow and her feet started to dissipate._

" _Thank you Mahiru," Shinoa said with a smile, "Until we meet again, Nee-san. Goodbye."_

* * *

(I'm sorry if some people feel that end was a little rushed. I swear I will address it when I write the sequel!)


End file.
